The Michelin Whisperer: Toprak’s Quest to Quit the “Spin-to-Win” Habit
Hold onto your leathers, folks, because the Sepang test just gave us the ultimate “culture shock” story. Imagine taking a drift king, giving him a precision instrument, and telling him, “Stop sliding, you’re ruining the vibes.”
That is exactly the intervention Jack Miller and the Pramac Racing crew are staging for MotoGP’s newest sensation, Toprak Razgatlıoglu
The Problem: The “Never-Ending” Spin
In WorldSBK, Toprak treated his rear Pirelli like a suggestion—something to be whipped, slid, and abused to make the bike turn. But in the world of Michelin, the rear tyre is a sensitive soul that holds a grudge.
Toprak’s SBK Habit: Kick the tail out, slide into the apex, whack the throttle, and use the spin to rocket forward.
The MotoGP Reality: If a Michelin starts spinning in second gear, it doesn’t just “hook up” eventually. According to Jack Miller, it stays spinning until fifth or sixth gear.
> “It continues spinning in a straight line,” Miller warned.
Basically, if Toprak gets greedy with the gas at the exit, he’s not accelerating; he’s just performing a very expensive, 200mph burnout all the way down the straight.
The Stats: The Gap to the Top
Toprak is a braking god, but the stopwatch doesn’t care about late-braking heroics if you’re “spinning your wheels” (literally) on the exit. Here is how the Sepang leaderboard shook out for the Turkish star:
“To Say is Easy!”
Toprak is currently in the “unlearning” phase, which is basically psychological torture for a guy who grew up sideways.
The Team’s Advice: “Ride smooth. Open the gas like you’re touching a glass sculpture.”
Toprak’s Response: “To say is easy!”
He’s having to adopt a Moto2-style approach—gentle, linear, and frustratingly patient. In Superbikes, the rear tyre helps you turn. In MotoGP, if you try to turn with the rear, the Michelin just throws a tantrum and stops gripping altogether.
The Technical Twist: V4 vs. Inline4
Jack Miller also dropped some “Aussie Truth Bombs” regarding Yamaha’s hardware. He noted that the old Inline4 engine was notoriously difficult for managing that weight transfer.
The Ducati (a V4) is famous for its “squat and go” mechanics. Miller pointed out that the Ducati is so smooth on exit because it transitions the load perfectly. This adds some serious weight to Yamaha’s high-stakes decision to build their own V4 engine—they need that mechanical grip to save Toprak from his own right wrist!
What’s Next?
Toprak has a few days to meditate on “gentle gas” before the circus moves to Thailand.
Next Stop: Buriram Test (February 21–22)
The Big Dance:MotoGP Race Debut at Buriram the following weekend.
Will the “Stopie King” become the “Smooth King” in time for the lights to go out? Or will the Michelin rear tyre continue to be his spicy, spinning nemesis?
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Sources
Motorsport.com: Toprak Razgatlioglu “Angry” and Losing Motivation Over Speed Gap at Sepang
Crash.net: Jack Miller Explains Toprak’s MotoGP “Spin” Issue: “It Continues Spinning…”
iMotorbike News: Detailed Breakdown: Toprak Adapting to MotoGP’s Sensitive Michelin Tyres
GPblog: Toprak Struggles to Adapt: “The Lap Time Has Not Arrived”
Official MotoGP Calendar: Full 2026 Schedule & Buriram Test Dates
